As the NCAA doles out $2.8 billion, what about its older stars like Vince Young? | Golden
The NCAA got it right even if it arrived at the party a fashionable 40 years late.
When the Power Four bean counters decided on a revenue sharing model, it represented a seismic shift in how we view college athletics. We can no longer call these guys and gals amateur athletes because they are now not only free to market themselves to businesses worldwide, but also business partners with the schools they represent.
The most intriguing part of the news was the settlement of three antitrust suits and the NCAA’s agreement to dole out $2.77 billion in payments to former athletes who fought to get a share of revenue brought in by companies such as EA Sports that blatantly took advantage of their images and likeness with their video games.
We can thank former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon for fighting the good fight when he knew he wasn’t getting his just due in the marketplace for the work he put in on the court and the money he helped bring in to Bruins basketball.
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Now, the question that still lingers is when will other lawsuits pop up from athletes who played before 2016? That was the agreed-upon year for which the back payments will start.
I know a lot of you were there in the mid-2000s when all we saw at Royal-Memorial Stadium was a sea of burnt orange No. 10 jerseys in the stands.
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Vince Young would be the poster child of NIL if he were playing today. The former Texas quarterback was the Pied Piper of Mack Brown’s championship team and was easily the most popular football player not named Tommy Nobis, Earl Campbell or Ricky Williams to come through here. The university made million off VY's name, image and likeness while EA Sports sold a boatload of video games with a nameless Longhorns quarterback breaking 50-yard touchdown runs even though there wasn’t a V. Young on the back of his jersey.
Players such as Williams, Young, Colt McCoy and softball legend Cat Osterman who played in an era when apparel and TV money skyrocketed would be smart to consult a lawyer while the NCAA is in the check-cutting mood.
If anything, the NCAA has a well-earned reputation for passing the buck, but it did a smart thing by getting out in front of this thing to satisfy a few partners. With that said, more lawsuits are coming. One need not worry about the future college athletes who will continue to line their pockets — and rightfully so — over the coming years, but none of that money would be available if not for the work put in by their athletic forefathers, including the ones who have been noticeably left holding the bag.
An empty bag at that.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: As NCAA agrees to $2.8 billion settlement, some former stars left out
